"monkey" wrote in message
om...
"Tarver Engineering" wrote in message
...
"BUFDRVR" wrote in message
...
Face
it - a non-stealthy combat aircraft is obsolete.

I think you may be over stating that point a bit Walt. There's still
years
and
years of play for non-stealth (and in the case of the BUFF,
anti-stealth)
aircraft. In fact, the addition of the F/A-22 ensures that.

An F-15 life extension is a near certainty now.

A lot of people will be crying into their beer after an F-15 lifex -
that is just not an effective plan these days. We did that with our
Hornets, and even with centre barrel replacement there are TONS of
serviceability problems.

There aren't enough F-22s to replace the F-15 and the F-35 is sliding
further away. The options are to life extend the F-15, or have the USAF buy
F/A-18Es. If we wait until the F-15s start falling out of the sky, then
they will all be gounded.

Besides that, the F-18 life extension doubled the usable life of the
F/A-18As.